How to Cater for Free From Children and Parents (families) Adriana Rabinovich

Transcription

1 How to Cater for Free From Children and Parents (families) Adriana Rabinovich

2 Adriana Rabinovich Author, teacher, product developer and an agent for change in the world of Free From I am the parent of a 12 year old Coeliac I specialise in teaching people how to make gluten free food that tastes great I have a website where you can find recipes and blogs called

3 How do we cater for Free From children and their families?

4 If you want to know the answer to the questionask a 12 year old who has Coeliac Disease.. No mintel surveys, no boring statistics, no industry surveys 5 concise points to share with you

5 1. Make sure you know your stuff! Safety is a parent s prime concern and should be at the heart of everything you do.

6 Good words to hear. We can cook/bake/fry your [insert item] separately for you If you want [ insert item] we can do it by [insert solution] Let me double check to confirm this [insert item] is safe for you All of our staff are fully trained in allergens and the kitchen is fully up to speed regarding cross contamination issues Our [chef, owner, waitress,] has an [intolerance/allergy] to [insert one of the 14 allergens] so we understand why it s important for you to know what is in the food we are serving you

7 Bad words to hear. No you can t have [insert food ie Rice] it has gluten running through it No, we can t [fry, bake, cook] that differently for you due to health and safety I think it is [insert choice of free from] but I m not an expert We don t serve [insert free from food] because most people don t ask for it No one has ever died from eating [insert allergen] here If your allergies are strong then I probably would not eat here

8 2. We are humans as well

9 Parents and children with intolerances and allergies often feel they are discriminated against. We want our children to experience a normal eating out experience - not one which is fraught with anxiety and fear.

10 What to look out for. Rolling of eyes Shoulder shrugging Allergen menu/matrix/folder Whispering between staff members

11 Positive signs to look out for.. Free from food on menus which is the same as the normal food and tastes the same too When most of the menu can be served free from When the special menu doesn t offer fruit as a pudding and a burger without the bun When you are made to feel welcomed

12 Positive signs to look out for.. Free from food on menus which is the same as the normal food and tastes the same too When most of the menu can be served free from When the special menu doesn t offer fruit as a pudding and a burger without the bun

13 3. Make it easy for us! Parents and children want better access and a wider choice of free from foods.

14 Having to always think what is available and where you can eat safely is boring, frustrating and inconvenient.

15 Think about age appropriate audiences and what their needs are

16 Toddlers and young children require different food choices from teenagers Not all children want children s food Tasty food which is not adulterated and engineered to contain strange ingredients, flavourings, additives and high levels of sugar, fat and salt

17 4. We want more choice and variety!

18 Many restaurants offer a very limited menu of free from choices The free from options are often second or third cousins to the real thing. Naturally free from choices [guacamole for example] are often not available allergen free It is possible to design menus to include many naturally free from options. Restaurants and catering outlets need to engineer their menus and kitchens to cater for the new normal.

19 5. Make it fun! Living with a food allergy or intolerance can make life seem very difficult for a young person. We want our children to enjoy eating outside the home and feel like it s a fun thing to do.

20 Here s what YOU can do for your special customers

21 Empathise and make us feel welcome Provide games, puzzles, colouring materials which acknowledge our Free From requirements and help us to feel included. (Visit for further resources and inspiration) Make sure all of your staff is allergen aware and properly trained Make your menu allergy friendly and know what s in the food you serve

22

23